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CURRENT EXHIBITION

A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.

While visiting Paris Photo this past November, we were thrilled to be able to meet with Coco and gather some new inventory for our gallery! We won't be holding a formal reception for this exhibition so please visit us anytime during gallery hours 11-5pm Tuesday - Saturday to view the exhibition! Today, March 14, we are open 11-4pm!


French artist Coco Fronsac paints non-European masks onto Western vernacular photographs from the early 20th Century. A dichotomy is developed between the early forms from the continents of Africa, Oceania, America, and Asia, and the standardized nature of photographic portraits as they occurred a century ago. These surreal images plunge us into a dreamlike, comical world, contrasting ritual and tradition, to  exploit the unexpected juxtapositions with startling effect.  For the artist, the portraits seek to bring a commonality to the human experience by representing the family relationship and different stages of development for a Western person like herself (moving from birth, to communion, military service, marriage, etc.) in context with non-Western rituals she respects.'

Coco Fronsac plays with the viewers’ vision of time, to better project themselves into a new, fluctuating, living, subjective reality. The vernacular photographs on which Fronsac works themselves go back in time.  The paintings she mixes over the photographs typically go back to indigenous cultures she admires.  With the combination, she imbues a contemporary approach to both subjects, bringing a new portrayal of humanity’s present position.

VIEW ALL OF COCO FRONSAC'S WORK HERE.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL PRESS RELEASE HERE.

Representing the Finest Contributions
to the History of Photography

Obscura Gallery
225 Delgado St.
Santa Fe, NM 87501
505-577-6708
[email protected]


Member of the Association of International Photography Art Dealers

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All photographs are ©2025 by the respective artist. All rights reserved.